A custodian you may know at Nauset Middle School is Antonio Mancuso. During the afternoon, you can see him walking the seventh grade hallway armed with a smile, a wise look, and a bottle of spray disinfectant, a much-needed antidote to Covid.

     You might not know that Mr. Mancuso is originally from Italy! After hearing this, the Nauset Current asked him a few questions including what his favorite things were about Italy. 

     Mr. Mancuso responded, “Italy is the most beautiful place with so much to offer. It also has so much history including its religious beliefs, the Ancient Romans, and the Coliseums.” He noted that Calabria was located in the toe of a famous boot shape that geographically forms the boundaries of Italy, jutting between the azure Mediterranean and the Adriatic seas. It has a lot to offer, including amazing southern Italian cuisine, sports, especially soccer, and of course, a warm, Mediterranean climate. Mancuso’s family thrived from their amazing garden and their happy childhoods under the warm sun despite their poverty. 

     Looking at pictures, we wondered why anyone would leave such a paradise as Calabria. 

     “I was eighteen years old, working at a restaurant in Milano, Italy. My brother who had been living in the U.S. had mentioned that there were many job opportunities in the U.S., which made me decide to move here for my future.” He adds that he was very fortunate to have the opportunity to immigrate. Although he considers himself fortunate that doesn’t mean it was easy. The immigration journey is a long process relating to moving from one country to another. He flew alone on a 9 hour flight to get to Boston and arrived there on September 7, 1972. 

Mancuso said that he is a self-taught English speaker who had no American schooling.  The soft-spoken gentleman mentioned that learning the English language was very difficult. Yet, today you might not detect the faint Italian accent. He also mentioned that he has come a long way since his residence in Italy. We are so lucky to have Mr. Mancuso on the Nauset staff and we hope that you strike up a conversation with him starting with buongiorno.